Pleasure-railway.



H. Wlit'ITIlIG'.

PLEASURE RAILWAY. APPLICATION rmm JUNE 26,1909.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

wmvsssss unnnsw. a. (mama 00.. PHOIU-JJZNOGRAPHERS. wAsnmuwaan HORATIO WHITING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLEASURE-RAILWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application filed June 26,1909. Serial No. 504,481.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORATIO 'WHITING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pleasure-Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an amusement device of the general type known as pleasure railways, and to the particular type known as somersault vehicles.

The object of this invent-ion is to provide means whereby a plurality of vehicles may be made to take varying turns or somersaults.

The invention consists broadly in a plurality of vehicles pivoted together and adapted to run on a plurality of tracks having different throwing curves whereby said vehicles will rotate in different directions.

The invention further consists in the construction and combination of parts, to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, showing Various positions of the vehicles; and Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the vehicles on the tracks.

Referring more particularly to the separate arts of the device, 1 indicates a suitable framework, which extends upwardly to form an inclined track 2, which may be of any suitable form and material, and is adapted to permit a plurality of vehicles 3 and 4 to travel thereon, and has a curved portion 5 at the bottom thereof, whereby the travel of said vehicles may be varied.

Located at a considerable distance from the end of the track 2, there is provided a suitable support 6, on which an inclined yielding trackway 7 is located, and on which the vehicles are adapted to land after having jumped the gap between the track 2 and the track 7.

The vehicles 3 and 4 are supported on any suitable rollers 5', 6, 7 and 8, which are pivoted to shafts 9, 10, 11 and 12, in any well-known manner. The vehicles 3 and 4 are also pivotally connected together by suitable connecting links 13 and 14, which are pivoted at their ends in any well-known manner to shafts 15 and 16, which preferably pass through the centers of gravity of the vehicles 3 and 4. By this special pivotal relation, the vehicles are adapted to rotate relative to each other without the rotation of one having an eccentric action on the rotation of the other. In order to provide for a relative turning motion of the front and rear ends of the vehicles 3 and 4, there are provided suitable side tracks 17 and 18, having different grades or curvatures from the track 2, and on which are adapted to ro tate hubs 19 and 20 on the vehicles3 and 4. In the construction shown, the hubs 19 are located on the front wheels of-the vehicle 3, and onthe rear wheels of the vehicle 4, whereby, since the tracks 17 and 18 are preferably curved to a lesser degree than the track 2 at its lower end, the front end of the vehicle 3 and the rear end of the vehicle 4 will tend to shoot out in a straighter line than their opposite ends. Thus the vehicles will tend to rotate in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows over the dotted figures.

I may vary the inclination and curvature of the tracks, so that the vehicles will rotate in any other manner, as, for example, so that one of the vehicles may take a double somer sault while the other takes a single somersault, or no somersault at all, but travels in an arcuate path. I may also vary the position of the hubs from the front to the rear wheels, and vice versa.

Any suitable securing means may be provided on the vehicle for holding the occupants in place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of vehicles pivotally connected, of means adapted to rotate said vehicles in opposite directions.

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a plurality of vehicles pivotally connected, of track means adapted to rotate said Vehicles in opposite directions.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of vehicles pivotally connected at their centers of gravity, of means adapted to rotate said vehicles in opposite directions.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of vehicles pivof track means adapted to rotate said vehicles in opposite directions.

5. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a plurality of vehicles, of a pluralityof tracks, track-engaging means on said vehicles, and connections adapted to join said vehicles in pivotal relation at their centers of gravity.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination, with a plurality of vehicles, of means for pivotally connecting said vehicles at their centers of ravity. v

7. In a device-o the class described, the combination with a pluralityroit vehicles, of shafts extending through the centers of gravity of said vehicles, and links pivotally connecting said rods.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of pivotally connected vehicles, of a plurality of tracks, and track-engaging means on each of said vehicles adapted to engage each of said tracks. 7

9. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of vehicles, of

- a plurality of tracks, track-engaging means on each of said vehicles adapted to engage each of said tracks, and means for connecting said vehicles in pivotal relation.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of connected 1 vehicles, of a plurality of tracks having different grades, and track-engaging means on one of said vehicles adapted to engage each of said tracks.

11. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a plurality of connected vehicles, of a plurality of tracks having different grades, and track-engaging means on each of said vehicles adapted to engage each of said tracks.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination with a trackway having a gap therein, of a plurality of pivotally connected vehicles adapted to run on said trackway, and means whereby said vehicles will somersault while crossingsaid gap.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination with a trackway having 'a gap therein, of a plurality of vehicles adapted to run on said trackway, and means whereby said vehicles will somersault in opposite directions while crossing said ap.

14. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a trackway having a gap therein, of a plurality of connected vehicles adapted to run on said trackway, and means whereby said vehicles will somersault in opposite directions while crossing said gap.

15. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of vehicles, of a plurality of tracks having different curvatures, and rotary supports for said vehicles,

an inner track, an outer track, track-'engaing means on one end of each vehice adapted to engage one of said tracks, and track-engaging means on the other end of each vehicle adapted to engage the other of said tracks.

18-. In a device of the class described, the combination with a plurality of connected vehicles, of a plurality of inclined tracks having different curvatures, and wheels on said vehicles, the front wheels of each vehicle being adapted to engage different tracks from the rear wheels. a

19. In a device of the class described, the combination with a trackway having a gap therein, of a plurality of pivotally con nected vehicles adapted to run on said trackway, and means for causing said vehicles to take difierent paths while, crossing said gap.

20-. In a device of the class described, the combination with a trackway having a gap therein, of a plurality of pivotally connected vehicles adapted to run on said trackway, and means for causing all of said vehicles to travel in curved paths while crossing said gap.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York t 17th day of June A. D. 1909.

. HORATIO IVHITING. Witnesses.

CLAIR W. FAIRBANK, PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS. 

